Al Mayadeen – September 24, 2024
War on Lebanon: 558 killed, 1835 injured by Israel
The extensive Israeli aggression continues targeting different regions across Lebanon, raising the death toll to at least 558 killed so far.
The Israeli aggression on Lebanon has killed 558 citizens, including 50 children, and wounded 1,835 others, Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said during a press conference on Tuesday.
According to Abiad, "the Israeli enemy's brutality led to the martyrdom of several members of medical and rescue teams."
Al Mayadeen's correspondent had reported over 1,000 Israeli airstrikes targeting the Lebanese South since "Israel" launched its extensive aggression on Monday.
The villages and towns of Qana, Ain Baal, al-Aqbiya, al-Sultaniyya, Sidiqin, Jabal al-Batm, Dabial, Markaba, Arabsalim, Aytit, Maaraka, and Nabatieh al-Fawqa were targeted, as well as the bridge between Jezzine and Marjayoun, in southernmost Lebanon.
In West Bekaa, 24 people were killed, while five are missing so far. Al Mayadeen's correspondent also reported 113 martyrs and 500 injuries in northern Bekaa as a result of the Israeli raids over the past 24 hours, where the towns of Shaath, Douris, and al-Bazaliyeh were targeted.
Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri stressed that "national unity and solidarity was a political moral duty at this stage of Lebanese history. Our people in the South, Bekaa, and Dahiya are a responsibility to all the Lebanese people, and their victory precedes any other consideration."
The Syrian Social Nationalist Party viewed the ongoing escalations as a concerted war aimed at subjugating the entire Axis of Resistance, asserting that such an outcome would never be recognized.
The party emphasized that "the outcome of this war will be the victory of our country and our people over the enemy, and we will undoubtedly be the ones to fire the last bullet." It asserted that "the extreme brutality and criminality exhibited by the occupation against civilians serve as the strongest evidence of the enemy's lack of a clear military target strategy."
The party addressed the Israeli occupation, stating, “You must understand that displacing people from their lands and homes will not diminish their resolve nor change their stance in any way.”
Arab and regional stances
Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid called on the "international community to take a stand to stop the aggressive actions against Lebanon, which could lead to dangerous consequences."
Arab foreign ministers also condemned the "escalating Israeli aggression against Lebanon, particularly since Monday morning."
For its part, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine urged "the continuation of popular movements and protests in the streets to express anger against the ongoing war of destruction and genocide, which has extended to beloved Lebanon and its brotherly people, aiming to weaken the support front for the Palestinian resistance."
In a statement, the DFLP praised the "valiant Islamic Resistance and the spirits of the hundreds of martyrs who have risen in their steadfastness and strong stance, and in the courageous and painful response to the enemy, defending Lebanon, its people, and its land, while continuing to support the Palestinian people and their Resistance against the ongoing genocide, amid the international community's and Security Council's inability to stop it."
Meanwhile, the Kremlin viewed that "the Israeli attacks on Lebanon are extremely dangerous and could destabilize the region," while the Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed Beijing's support for "Lebanon in maintaining its sovereignty and security," condemning the "Israeli violations represented by airstrikes."
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/war-on-lebanon--558-killed--1835-injured-by--israel
Al Jazeera – September 24, 2024
Hezbollah responds as Israeli air strikes on Lebanon kill 558
By AJLabs
In retaliation, Hezbollah launched more than 200 rocket attacks. Some missiles were directed at Israeli airbases, including in Afula and Haifa, saying it used Fadi 1 and Fadi 2 rockets.
The group claimed it had attacked the Megiddo airfield, west of Afula, the Ramat David Airbase in Haifa, the Amos airbase and an explosives factory in Zikhon Ya’akov, 60km (37 miles) south of the border.
Israel’s arsenal
Israel holds the most advanced missiles in the Middle East, many produced domestically, but most of its precision-guided missiles are from the United States.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), much of Israel’s capabilities are short-range tactical systems, including the Popeye and Gabriel missiles, and Extra rockets. Among its long-range missiles are Jericho 2 and Jericho 3 ballistic missiles with ranges of 1,500-3,500km (930-2,175 miles) and 4,800-6,500km (3,000-4,000 miles), respectively.
Also, despite not officially acknowledging it, Israel is believed to possess at least 90 nuclear weapons.
To confront incoming rockets and missiles, Israel uses three integrated air defence systems: the Iron Dome (short-range), David’s Sling (medium-range) and Arrow (long-range).
The Iron Dome was originally billed as providing city-sized coverage against rockets with ranges of 4-70km (2.5-43 miles), but experts say it has been expanded.
David’s Sling, produced by Israeli weapons giant Rafael, can intercept rockets and missiles with a range of 40-300km (25-186 miles).
The Arrow series, led by the Arrow 3 interceptor, has an estimated fly-out range of up to 2,400km (1,491 miles).
Hezbollah’s arsenal
Hezbollah is considered one of the world’s most heavily armed non-state actors, with an estimated rocket arsenal of 130,000, according to CSIS.
On October 19, Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies estimated that Hezbollah had 40,000 Grad-type missiles with a short range of 15-20km (9-12 miles).
A step up are 80,000 longer-range multiple-launch rocket systems, including the Fajr 3 and Fajr 5, with a range of 100km (62 miles).
Finally, there are about 30,000 Zelzal artillery rockets or Fateh-110 ballistic missiles with a range of 200-300km (124-186 miles) – the longest-range weapons in Hezbollah’s inventory, capable of reaching southern Israel.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/24/israel-attacks-lebanon-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker
Daily Sabah – September 24, 2024
Thousands flee as Lebanon death toll in Israeli attacks crosses 500
Tens of thousands were fleeing southern Lebanon on Tuesday as the death toll from Israeli airstrikes there crossed 500 after the country's deadliest day in decades.
After some of the heaviest cross-border exchanges of fire since hostilities flared in October, Israel demanded people in Lebanon to evacuate homes and other buildings.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a short video statement addressed to the Lebanese people.
"Israel's war is not with you, it's with Hezbollah. For too long Hezbollah has been using you as human shields," he said.
Families from south Lebanon loaded cars, vans and trucks with belongings and people, sometimes multiple generations in one vehicle. As bombs rained down, children crammed onto parents' laps and suitcases were tied to car roofs.
Highways north were gridlocked. "I grabbed all the important papers and we got out. Strikes all around us. It was terrifying," said Abed Afou, who was with his family, including three sons aged 6 to 13 and several other relatives. They sat in traffic as it crawled north.
They did not know where they would stay, he said, but just wanted to reach Beirut.
Nasser Yassin, the Lebanese minister coordinating the crisis response, told Reuters 89 temporary shelters in schools and other facilities had been activated, with capacity for more than 26,000 people as civilians fled "Israeli atrocities."
After almost a year of war against Hamas in Gaza on its southern border, Israel is shifting its focus to the northern frontier, where Iran-backed Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas, also backed by Iran.
Israel's military said it struck Hezbollah in Lebanon's south, east and north, including "launchers, command posts and terrorist infrastructure." The Israeli Air Force struck about 1,600 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, it said.
Lebanon's Health Ministry said at least 558, including 50 children and 94 women, were killed and 1,835 others wounded. One Lebanese official said it was Lebanon's highest daily death toll from violence since the 1975-1990 civil war.
Deep concern
The fighting has raised fears that the U.S., Israel's closest ally, and Iran will be sucked into a wider war.
Saudi Arabia expressed deep concern Monday and urged all parties to exercise restraint, state news agency SPA reported.
A senior U.S. State Department official said the United States did not support a cross-border escalation between Israel and Hezbollah and that Washington was going to discuss "concrete ideas" with allies and partners to prevent the war from broadening.
Israeli officials have said the recent uptick in airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon is designed to force the Iran-aligned group to agree to a diplomatic solution.
The U.S. official, briefing reporters in New York on condition of anonymity, pushed back on the Israeli position, saying the Biden administration was focused on "reducing tensions ... and breaking the cycle of strike-counterstrike."
Also in New York, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Israel wanted to drag the Middle East into a full-blown war by provoking Iran to join the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.
"It is Israel that seeks to create this all-out conflict," he told journalists after his arrival to attend the U.N. General Assembly, saying the consequences of such instability would be irreversible.
https://www.dailysabah.com/world/mid-east/thousands-flee-as-lebanon-death-toll-in-israeli-attacks-crosses-500
Daily Sabah – September 24, 2024
Gazans fear being forgotten as Israel-Hezbollah clashes heat up
Amid the intensifying conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Palestinians in Gaza are left questioning the future of their struggle after enduring nearly a year of devastating war.
They are petrified that international concern has been diverted and that a dark possibility looms: abandonment.
The families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza have the same worry.
Nezar Zaqout, one of some 1.9 million Palestinians forced to flee their homes since Israel launched its brutal military campaign, said he fears the fighting across the Israel-Lebanon border will overtake interest in the abysmal living conditions in Gaza and efforts to negotiate a cease-fire.
"We have become completely forgotten," said Zaqout, who is living in Khan Younis after fleeing from Gaza City months ago. "There is no news about us in the media."
Palestinians fret the miserable conditions in Gaza will become permanent. Around 90% of the population is homeless, with hundreds of thousands in unsanitary tent camps struggling to find food and clean water.
"A year on, and no one cares about us. Every day there is bombing, every day there are martyrs, and every day there are injuries," said Saadi Abu Mustafa, who fled Khan Younis to Muwasi, a sprawling tent camp along Gaza's southern coast.
Since the conflict was triggered by a Hamas incursion on Oct. 7 last year, Israel's genocidal war has killed more than 41,500 Palestinians and wounded more than 95,000, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
Months of intense air and ground assaults have razed entire housing blocks to the ground; researchers who study satellite imagery estimate nearly 60% of buildings in the Gaza Strip have likely been damaged since the start of the war.
Israel vowed to destroy Hamas after Oct. 7, when its members caused some 1,200 deaths and abducted 250 others. While it has been badly hobbled, the resistance group backed by Iran remains in power.
Israel’s government says about 70 of the 100 hostages are still presumed alive. Their families dread the government's focus on ending the war is fading.
"My biggest concern is that all the public’s attention and the world’s attention would be gone to the north," said Udi Goren, a relative of Tal Haimi, an Israeli killed on Oct. 7 and whose body was taken to Gaza. "Eventually the hostages will just be completely left alone without anyone to bring them out."
As the threat of all-out-war between Israel and Hezbollah has risen, Israel has drawn down its troop presence in Gaza to move key units to its northern border with Lebanon. Still, thousands of soldiers remain in Gaza, carrying out sporadic raids and preventing displaced Palestinians from returning home.
'Completely left alone'
Daily strikes have continued in Gaza, too. An Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in northern Gaza Saturday killed at least 22 people and wounded 30 others, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Recent rains have made already difficult living conditions in the Israeli-designated "safe zone" of Muwasi unbearable. On Sunday, children living there walked barefoot through mud that reached above their ankles, while men dug through the muck to salvage precious canned goods and furniture.
"The entire kitchen in which we prepare food was filled with water. We did not know what to do. This is the beginning of winter. What will happen in the coming days?" said Rana Goza’t, a mother displaced from Gaza City.
Others lamented water-logged mattresses and pleaded for international groups to help keep attention on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
"We hope that all peoples care about us and see where we have reached," said Enas Kollab, who relocated to Muwasi from northern Gaza.
A flurry of diplomatic activity to broker an agreement between Israel and Hamas appears to have subsided, with each side accusing the other of negotiating in bad faith and making untenable demands.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel must keep troops in two areas of Gaza to prevent Hamas from rearming. But Hamas has said it will not agree to any deal that allows Israeli troops to remain.
Hopes for a deal have further dimmed as the United States, a key mediator in the talks, appears to be losing the ability to influence its closest ally.
In a trip to the region last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited only Egypt because U.S. officials believed having him travel to Israel in support of a deal might cause Netanyahu to say something that would undermine mediation efforts.
No clear vision has emerged for postwar Gaza – or who will guide and govern that process – but one thing is clear: Rebuilding the territory will take decades. The U.N. estimated this summer that just removing some 40 million tons of rubble would take 15 years.
Daily Sabah – September 24, 2024
How Israel’s Hezbollah strike reflects on Gulf security dynamics
by Gökhan Ereli
Israel's strikes on Hezbollah and the regional instability shake Gulf nations' U.S. reliance and push them to seek new alliances
Thirty-two people were killed and almost 3,000 injured when explosives that targeted Hezbollah members' communication equipment shook southern Lebanon on Sept. 18-19, 2024. Although Israeli officials have not acknowledged any involvement, experts believe Mossad was involved in undermining Hezbollah's military capabilities, notwithstanding Hezbollah's allegations that Israel was orchestrating those attacks. These attacks have resulted in shelling along the Israel-Lebanon border, generating worries of an escalated conflict that regional and international parties are making attempts to de-escalate. These strikes are part of Israel's more comprehensive strategy to disrupt Hezbollah without sparking a full-scale war.
These unconventional attacks by Israel on Hezbollah are significant for Gulf security, particularly around two key questions: Is Israel's growing willingness to exert unconventional military influence and perceived recklessness a threat to regional countries? If so, does the continued U.S. and Western support for Israel, despite its actions, exacerbate Gulf countries’ trajectory for seeking alternative powerhouses or political/military order-makers, such as Russia, China or India? This article aims to answer these questions in light of the recent developments.
Israeli threat to the Gulf
Despite the fact that Hezbollah is viewed by Gulf states as a direct problem in Lebanon's political dynamics, mainly because of its inherent linkages to and robust support from Iran, Israel's unconventional strike on Hezbollah has caused alarm throughout Gulf nations. There are two layers to this concern. First, there is anxiety over Israel's maturing predisposition to employ unconventional and aggressive methods of warfare. Second, the Western countries' credibility in upholding the rules-based international order is being undermined by the growing uneasiness about their incapacity or unwillingness to hold Israel accountable.
Even if Hezbollah is still their regional enemy, Gulf countries worry that unrestrained Israeli activities, combined with passivity on the part of the West, could cause additional upheaval in the region.
Israel could pose a serious threat to the countries in the region, given their increasing inclination to resort to military force and its actions, which have been viewed as reckless. Although Israel frequently defends its actions – such as attacking Hezbollah's communications networks or launching airstrikes in reaction to rocket fire – as defensive or preventive measures, these moves have the potential to erode further the stability of the military posture in the region.
There could be cascading consequences on neighboring nations, especially Syria, Lebanon and even farther out Jordan, resulting in infrastructure damage, human casualties and economic instability. Moreover, Israel's forceful military posture, particularly in areas with high population density, raises the possibility of unintentional escalation, which might attract other regional players like Iran and ignite a wider conflict.
Israel's willingness to use sophisticated intelligence and military force, as seen in the September 2024 events, increases the risk of miscalculation and retaliatory attacks in the region. For regional countries, especially those like Jordan, Lebanon or Egypt, who have their own security concerns and are in proximity to Israel, this poses the danger of becoming embroiled in a conflict that could escalate beyond control. And one subregion that could become the victim of uncontrollable spillover effects is the Gulf itself.
Gulf’s security pivot to Asia
U.S. and Western support for Israel, despite its reckless military assertiveness, is contributing to a growing realignment in the Middle East. Gulf countries, traditionally relying on the U.S. as a security guarantor, are increasingly looking at alternative powerhouses such as Russia, China and India. At its core, the Gulf countries' shift toward non-Western actors is not solely due to the military instabilities caused by Israel and other regional players, nor is it just the cracks in the Western order. These recent instabilities merely complicate the process and amplify the impact of a broader realignment that has been brewing over the past few years.
Frustration with what they see as Western bias toward Israel – even when its actions cause instability in the region – is what is driving this movement. Growing economic, military and political connections with China and Russia – both of whom are viewed as less ideologically motivated and more focused on strategic and economic interests – have been made possible by the Gulf states, most notably Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
China's perspective on Israel's treatment of Hamas and other Gazan groups draws attention to a larger problem: the Western order's inability to keep the region stable. China's position here is consistent with that of the Gulf, as both countries recognize the shortcomings of frameworks driven by the West in resolving disputes and crises in the area. A common understanding of the limitations of the current international frameworks, particularly about conflict resolution and regional stability, is reflected in the convergence of interests between China and the Gulf.
China, in particular, has emerged as a key player through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), fostering deep economic ties with the Gulf. Meanwhile, Russia's involvement in Syria and its growing defense relations with Gulf countries suggest a willingness to fill the security vacuum that could emerge if trust in the U.S. wanes. China has become a major economic partner through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Russia has developed stronger military ties with several Gulf states, especially after its intervention in Syria. India, meanwhile, has emerged as a key trading partner, particularly in the energy and technology sectors. These relationships provide the Gulf countries with leverage, allowing them to engage with Western powers from a position of greater independence.
India, too, is expanding its diplomatic and economic outreach, positioning itself as a major player in the region’s evolving power dynamics. Thus, while the U.S. remains a critical ally, Gulf countries are actively diversifying their partnerships to avoid over-dependence on Western powers, especially in the context of Israel’s military recklessness. This trend indicates a potential reordering of the region's geopolitical alliances.
Looking for alternative allies
The Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, have become more vocal in their concerns over the West’s perceived unwillingness to hold Israel accountable for its military actions. Despite some Gulf states normalizing relations with Israel (e.g., the Abraham Accords), there remains significant public and political pressure to address Israel’s actions, particularly regarding Palestine.
The Western reluctance to condemn or meaningfully hold Israel accountable for its actions has caused these nations to seek new geopolitical strategies without fully abandoning their ties with the U.S. and Europe.
Originally, with economic motivation, the BRICS framework (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) gained considerable attention from Gulf countries. Recent talks between the GCC foreign ministers and some of the BRICS foreign ministers have led to growing interest in expanding BRICS influence in the Gulf and the Middle East. This partnership with BRICS countries offers a counterbalance to the Western-dominated global order, providing the Gulf with alternative economic, political and security relationships.
Despite these new partnerships, the Gulf countries remain cautious about fully disengaging from the crumbling Western security architecture in the Middle East. The U.S. and European nations still provide essential security cooperation, arms sales and investment, and Gulf monarchies benefit from their alignment with Western powers on certain issues. However, they have adopted a pragmatic, multi-alignment strategy where they rhetorically maintain close relations with the West while simultaneously deepening their ties with non-Western powers. This approach allows them to enjoy the benefits of their traditional alliances while positioning themselves more strategically in a rapidly shifting global order.
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The Journal of America Team:
Editor in chief:
Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Senior Editor:
Prof. Arthur Scott
Special Correspondent
Maryam Turab
